There is a continuing demand for integrated circuits to perform more functions or operations in shorter periods of time. This typically requires additional components to perform the additional functions, store more data and operate more efficiently. At the same time packaging requirements are decreasing. Consumers want smaller, lighter weight products that do more and are more mobile or portable. Accordingly, circuit designers are challenged to provide more components or greater capacity per unit of area on a semiconductor die. Most electronic circuits include basic electrical components such as transistors, resistors, inductors, capacitors and the like. Capacitors are one component that can occupy a lot of area on a semiconductor die depending upon the size of the capacitor. Capacitors are typically made by depositing a first metal plate, depositing a layer of insulation material over the first metal plate and then depositing a second metal plate over the layer of insulation material and parallel to the first metal plate. The size of the capacitance will be a function of the surface area of the two facing parallel plates and other parameters such as the dielectric constant of the insulation material and the spacing between the plates. Accordingly, one primary means of increasing the capacitance, is to increase the size of each of the parallel plates but this will consume more area on the semiconductor die.
Additionally, in some circuits it may be desirable for the capacitor to be independent of voltage and frequency applied across the capacitor once it is charged to a predetermined level. For example, a capacitor may be connected to the non-inverting input of an operational amplifier to reduce or cancel the offset voltage inherent in the operational amplifier. The capacitor may be pre-charged to the opposite polarity of the offset voltage of the amplifier so that the offset voltage is canceled during normal operation of the amplifier. When an input voltage signal is applied to the input of the operational amplifier, the output voltage signal will be stable and uninfluenced by the offset voltage if the capacitor is voltage and frequency independent.
Accordingly, for the reason stated above, and for other reasons that will become apparent upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need for a capacitor that maximizes the amount of capacitance per unit of area of a semiconductor die and that is independent of voltage and frequency.